It might appear strange that the information of the surface would matter as much as they provide for an automobile that travels through the air. The factor involves Ingenuitys navigation system and what it was initially designed for: a brief innovation presentation at a thoroughly selected speculative test website.
When we as humans look at moving pictures of the ground, such as those taken by Ingenuitys navigation cam, we immediately have a respectable understanding of what were looking at. We see rocks and ripples, shadows and texture, and the ups and downs of the surface are relatively obvious. Resourcefulness, however, doesnt have human understanding and understanding of what its looking at. It sees the world in terms of specific, confidential functions– basically dots that move with time– and it attempts to translate the motion of those dots.
This map shows the approximate flight path of NASAs Ingenuity Mars Helicopter during its ninth flight, on July 5. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
To make that task much easier, we offered Ingenuitys navigation algorithm some assistance: We informed it that those features are all located on flat ground. That released the algorithm from attempting to exercise variations in terrain height, and allowed it to concentrate on translating the motion of the functions by the helicopters motions alone. But complications develop if we then attempt to fly over surface that isnt truly flat..
Differences in surface height will cause features to cross the field of view at different rates, and Ingenuitys navigation algorithm still “assumes” the ground below is flat. It does its finest to describe the motion of the functions by changes in the helicopters movements, which can cause mistakes. The majority of significantly, it can result in errors in the approximated heading, which will trigger the helicopter to fly in a various direction than intended.
Preparing for a bumpy flight.
The presumption about the ground being flat is baked into the style of the algorithm, and there is nothing we can do about that when planning the flights. What we can do is to prepare for the problems that will occur due to this presumption and to reduce them to the greatest possible level in regards to how we prepare the flights and the specifications we provide the software.
For Flight 9, a key adaptation of the flight plan was to decrease our speed at the essential point when we dipped into the crater. It came at the cost of extending the flight time, it assisted reduce early heading mistakes that might grow into a large cross-track position mistake. We also changed some of the in-depth parameters of the navigation algorithm that we have not had to touch so far in previous flights.
In the week ahead, Ingenuity will return color images that Perseverances researchers are looking forward to studying. Caught in those images are rock outcrops that show contacts between the major geologic systems on Jezero Craters floor. They also consist of a system of fractures the Perseverance team calls “Raised Ridges,” which the rovers researchers hope to go to in part to investigate whether an ancient subsurface environment may be preserved there.
Were hoping the color images will supply the closest appearance yet at “Pilot Pinnacle,” a location featuring outcrops that some group members think may tape-record some of the deepest water environments in old Lake Jezero. Given the tight objective schedule, its possible that they will not have the ability to visit these rocks with the rover, so Ingenuity might use the only chance to study these deposits in any detail.
Composed by Håvard F. Grip, Ingenuity Chief Pilot, and Ken Williford, Perseverance Deputy Project Scientist.

By Håvard F. Grip, Jet Propulsion Laboratory
July 8, 2021

Flight 9 was not like the flights that came before it. What really set the flight apart was the terrain that Ingenuity had to negotiate throughout its 2 minutes and 46 seconds in the air– an area called “Séítah” that would be challenging to traverse with a ground lorry like the Perseverance rover. The companys Ingenuity helicopter flew over this region during its ninth flight, on July 5. In each of its previous flights, Ingenuity hopped from one airfield to another over mainly flat surface. For Flight 9, a key adaptation of the flight strategy was to decrease our speed at the essential point when we dipped into the crater.

Animation illustrating NASAs Ingenuity helicopter flying on Mars. Credit: NASA
It has been a week of heightened apprehension on the Mars Helicopter group as we prepared a major flight challenge for Ingenuity. We uplinked guidelines for the flight, which took place Monday, July 5 at 2:03 am PT, and waited nervously for results to arrive from Mars later that early morning. When we discovered that Ingenuity was alive and well after completing a journey spanning 2,051 feet (625 meters) of challenging surface, the mood in the ground control room was pleased.
Flight 9 was not like the flights that came prior to it. It broke our records for flight period and cruise speed, and it almost quadrupled the range flown in between two airfields. What really set the flight apart was the terrain that Ingenuity had to work out throughout its 2 minutes and 46 seconds in the air– a location called “Séítah” that would be challenging to pass through with a ground lorry like the Perseverance rover. This flight was likewise explicitly designed to have science value by offering the very first close view of significant science targets that the rover will not grab rather a long time.
NASAs Perseverance Mars rover took this image neglecting the “Séítah” area using its navigation cam. The companys Ingenuity helicopter flew over this area during its ninth flight, on July 5. Credit: NASA/JPL-Caltech
Flying with our eyes open
In each of its previous flights, Ingenuity hopped from one airfield to another over mostly flat surface. In preparing the flights, we even made sure to avoid overflying a crater. We started by dipping into what looks like a heavily deteriorated crater, then continued to descend over sloped and undulating surface before climbing again to emerge on a flat plain to the southwest.